Heroes and villains …

Whether in comics, movies, or the wrestling ring, there is a certain portion of the audience who find themselves captivated by the dramatic and often charismatic characters who play the role of villain.

The draw?

The bad guys seem to get to blow up and destroy more stuff than the good guys do. They also don’t forgive anyone, and take great delight in bringing as much harm as possible to their enemies.

Perhaps that’s why more story lines are giving the heroes a darker background, adding a tinge to their good guy images. Audiences cheer when the hero gets busy destroying the villain and wreaking some damage of his own.

In a similar manner, some people seem to have given Jesus an alter ego, “Jesus the Destroyer.” He’s the one who will take revenge on our enemies for us, condemn forever people we don’t like, and destroy Satan and his minions. They are just waiting for Christ to return with the hope He will start knocking some heads around. Angry people in particular really seem to like Jesus the Destroyer.

That’s a very different attitude than that held by those who see Jesus as the pure hero and worship “Jesus the Savior.” Instead of salivating over the destruction He can bring to others, they are overwhelmed with humility by Jesus being the hero who rescued us on the cross. They seem to see something others don’t:

We were the enemy!

“This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault,” Colossians 1:21-22.

The image of Jesus the Destroyer might give you an adrenalin rush until you realize we’ve all been on His enemy list. The only way off that list is to receive Him as Jesus the Savior. It is His desire to clear that list completely!

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent,” 2 Peter 3:9.

Is Jesus Christ starring as the hero and Savior in the story of your life? Or are you still playing the role of villain?

Scotty